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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26325604">Sunrise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrystarrytrouble/pseuds/starrystarrytrouble'>starrystarrytrouble</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Open Heart (Visual Novels)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Affection, Boss/Employee Relationship, Doctors &amp; Physicians, Driving, F/M, Falling In Love, Forehead Kisses, Kissing, Love Confessions, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:14:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,087</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26325604</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrystarrytrouble/pseuds/starrystarrytrouble</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ethan takes MC home after chap 11.</p><p>Added scenes and continuation from chapters 10 and 11 of OH2.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sunrise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was nearly dawn, the first rays of sunlight crackling through the pink sky and Boston was still, in quiet reverence of what had just passed. Ethan had one hand on the wheel as they drove back to his apartment, the roads so empty he could stay focused on the precious cargo sitting in the passenger seat of his sedan.</p><p>He knew what she was doing. In her position he’d be doing it too. Staring out the window. Watching the world she thought she’d never see again rush past.</p><p>Every building and landmark a bittersweet reminder of what could have been and what was. He saw a wistful look light her face and drove the long way around, giving her a chance to breathe in the city they’d both worried she had lost.</p><p>He cursed himself privately for telling her how scared he was. Those were in desperate moments, in the confines of her sanitized hospital room, in moments that could have been the last. But now that she was back where she belonged, right next to him, the fear was only growing.</p><p>The weight of all the time he’d wasted gnawed at him. She was right all along. Her belief that they should be together so strong, so relentless, that he hated himself for not trusting it.</p><p>He’d almost lost her. But now that she was safe again, the fear that something else would stop them, that she wasn’t as invincible as he believed, tore through Ethan.</p><p>Her voice broke the silence.</p><p>“Did you mean what you said before?”</p><p>“Everything.”</p><p>Eve turned to him in mild surprise.</p><p>“You don’t know what I was going to say.”</p><p>“It doesn’t matter, I meant it all.”</p><p>A grin crept over her tired face.</p><p>“I was going to say, did you mean it when you called me a pain in the ass.”</p><p>Ethan allowed a faint smile.</p><p>“At the time.”</p><p>“And now?”</p><p>Still amused, he shook his head.</p><p>She turned back to the open car window, her arm resting on the ledge. Her voice was soft, wistful.</p><p>“I keep thinking about the day we went to Mass Kenmore. If I hadn’t brought the Senator to Edenbrook, none of this would have happened. Danny would…”</p><p>“You can’t think like that. You didn’t do this.”</p><p>“I know. But look what happened.”</p><p>“None of this is your fault, Eve.”</p><p>She replied with silence and he glanced at her, her whole focus on the shapes rolling past the car window.</p><p>Her distant gaze reminded him of the last time they’d been alone together, before everything had unravelled. It was a recollection so precious he hadn’t dared to conjure it until now. Until he was sure it could be repeated.</p><p>The memory of the last time he’d kissed her.</p><p>They’d travelled back to Edenbrook after the TV interview with Senator Ed and stayed late in the Diagnostic’s Office. He couldn’t remember why, lately it had become habitual, no excuses were needed to be in one another’s company.</p><p>She was sat on the floor rifling through a medical journal, one of many that were tossed around her casually. The mess that naturally congregated wherever she was, the Diagnostic’s Office, his own private office or his apartment, mess that disappeared and was tidied almost imperceptibly before she left.</p><p>“It says here that a study at Cornell found that single men live on average 10 years less than men in relationships,” she’d said casually.</p><p>“Remind me to thank you if I make it to 80 then,” he replied drily, barely looking up.</p><p>Eve bit her lip and smiled, the way she did when she had mischief on her mind. He was pretending not to notice but she’d been drawing attention to his relationship status ever since they left the TV studio. And true to form, he’d been volleying back, throwing in enough to remain ambiguous but making it clear he wasn’t remotely rattled.</p><p>
  <em>Game on, Valentine. </em>
</p><p>“You’re assuming I want to keep you alive,” she said, amusement colouring her eyes.</p><p>“I’m after your job, remember? The sooner you’re out of the picture, the sooner...” she walked over and tapped the nameplate on his desk suggestively.</p><p>Ethan stared up horrified and she held her poker face for a few moments longer before she burst out laughing.</p><p>“I’m just messing with you, Ethan. Relax.”</p><p>“I have no doubt you’ll find some other way to be the end of me,” he smiled as she continued laughing.</p><p>“Still not single though, huh?” she challenged, sitting on the desk in front of him.</p><p>“I’m starting to wish I had never said anything.”</p><p>He regretted it the moment he said it.</p><p>Hurt crept into her eyes, faint enough to be imperceptible but he knew her too well not to see it.  After everything he’d done to push her away, they were finally making progress, however slow. And now he’d caused her to doubt it all over again.</p><p>“You can still change your mind,” she said quietly before quickly composing herself, “I mean, you only told the whole of America on National TV.”</p><p>The famous Eve Valentine sense of humour wasn’t enough to throw him off the scent.</p><p>He shook his head and kissed her softly, his answer clear, before touching her forehead with his own and lingering in the moment.</p><p>“Good to know,” she whispered before heading out of the office.</p><p>That could have been their very last kiss.  </p><p>And even in that moment, Ethan thought as they continued driving, he hadn’t been emphatic, hadn’t committed to anything. Everything could have taken away and their last kiss would have been tinged with the reminder of the doubt he’d made her feel. Consistently and unforgivingly, since the moment their lips had first touched over a year ago.</p><p>There he was always, hovering on the side-lines of his own boundaries and expectations, pushing her away with one hand and pulling her back with the other.</p><p>The utter pointlessness of it, when he’d seen how easily it could all be taken away.</p><p>He pulled into his apartment parking lot and stopped the car. Lost in her thoughts, Eve continued staring into the darkness, barely registering where they were.</p><p>“Are you sure you want to stay here? Your friends wanted to take you home,” Ethan asked gently, rousing her from her thoughts.</p><p>“I’m sure. Besides, they think I’m staying here so you can monitor my recovery.”</p><p>He nodded and clicked over the driver side door when he felt a hand on his arm.</p><p>“I just want you close, Ethan.”</p><p>He met her gaze, vulnerability shining in her eyes, and lifted her hand, bringing it to his lips and brushing it softly.</p><p>“You have me.”</p><p>Stepping over to the passenger side, he helped her out and took her hand, enclosing it tightly in his palm. They walked up to his apartment without breaking apart.</p><p>He watched her walk in, a slight awe in her eyes, gazing around the room as if seeing it for the first time. And then out of nowhere, her shoulders sank, her whole posture relaxing as familiarity kicked in.</p><p>She took her bag and moved it into his bedroom and for moment he hesitated, saying nothing but not schooling his features quickly enough when Eve emerged from his room.</p><p>She noticed it immediately.</p><p>“Sorry, I assumed...”</p><p>“You assumed correctly,” he replied quickly, all hesitation gone.</p><p>He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close to him and she held him tight, as she’d done back at the hospital numerous times after she was cured. Holding her to his chest, he thought back to the moments after she’d recovered.</p><p>He remembered their most recent kiss.</p><p>She’d walked back to her room after seeing Rafael, her eyes brighter than he’d seen all night, the strength of her recovery clear.  </p><p>“How’s Rafael?” Ethan had asked.</p><p>“He’s good under the circumstances. He wasn’t feeling too great and …his girlfriend kinda broke up with him just before I went in.”</p><p>Ethan raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“Yup. Awkward. But he’s decided not to move to Brazil anymore so that’s something. He said he needed a change and he got one.”</p><p>“Is that how you feel?”</p><p>Eve sighed and sat down on the bed in a heap.</p><p>“Honestly, I feel like nothing is going to be the same again.”</p><p>Ethan nodded.</p><p>“But not all of it’s bad…right?”</p><p>She looked at him desperately, every curve on her face uncertain, with a fragility he rarely saw in her.</p><p>Ethan’s eyes softened, and in one swift move, he brought her to his chest, enveloping her in a tight embrace.</p><p>“Not all of it is bad.”</p><p>He kissed her for the first time since she recovered, the familiarity of her lips on his a homecoming, the smell of jasmine in her hair and vanilla on her skin. Her warmth and tenderness quickly developed into an urgent passion as she tugged on his white coat and moved in closer.</p><p>“You were right,” she said slightly breathless as they broke apart.</p><p>He looked at her with curiosity.</p><p>“When you said we’d get to do this again.”</p><p>Tearing him away from the memory, she stirred in his arms. He brought his attention back to the apartment.</p><p>“Do you mind if I lie down for a little while? I suddenly feel really tired.”</p><p>He shook his head, still struggling to focus and watched her head into his bedroom casually. As if time had been erased, he’d never asked her to stay away and she’d slept there by his side for hundreds of nights.</p><p>
  <em>Like she knew she belonged there. </em>
</p><p>He checked in on her ten minutes later and found her wrapped in his sheets, on the same side of the bed she’d occupied the one night she’d stayed here before. The same side of the bed he’d left vacant ever since.</p><p>Sensing his presence, Eve called out to him.</p><p>“Ethan?”</p><p>“Will you hold me?”</p><p>He wrapped himself around her from behind, gripping her around her waist and chest, his warmth blanketing her as her outline tessellated into his.</p><p>“I wouldn’t be here without you,” she whispered.</p><p>“It was the whole team. And your friends. And Tobias’s team.”</p><p>He kissed her head gently.</p><p>“That’s not what I meant. You really believed I’d be okay. You made me believe. I was so sure…”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>“There’s so much I haven’t done. I can’t stop thinking about it.”</p><p>“If this is about you wishing you’d worked harder…”</p><p>She laughed wryly.</p><p>“It’s not. I don’t even know why I said that.”</p><p>She fiddled with the hand he’d placed over her chest, her heartbeat racing into his palm.</p><p>“I should have said I wish I’d loved more. That’s my regret. I spent the last decade focusing on college and med school and work. I didn’t even know what city I’d be in. And now I’m wondering what could have been.”</p><p>“You’re here now, aren’t you?”</p><p>He gently rolled her over to meet his gaze, one hand at her cheek cupping her face and stroking her hair with the very tips of his fingers. Not daring to look away from him, she bit the corner of her lip and smiled.</p><p>“I guess I am.”</p><p>He leaned over and kissed her tenderly. Her eyes fluttered open as they parted and a hint of sadness drifted over her face.</p><p>“Ethan, are we doing this? Us?”</p><p>His blue eyes pierced hers with intensity and a fierce passion she hadn’t seen before as he nodded.</p><p>“And you won’t change your mind?”</p><p>This time, the fear in her eyes was profound.</p><p>He recalled the last time she’d asked the question, when they’d been in the Diagnostic’s Office after the TV interview.</p><p>He remembered his failure to answer her properly then.</p><p>How close he was to losing her.</p><p>Every regret he had, every single night he hadn’t held her, all the days and hours he had wasted not telling her how he felt tumbled through his mind.</p><p>He pulled her to him and kissed her hard this time, the warmth of his hand on her cool back causing her to moan into his mouth and lean into him, pressing her body against his.</p><p>He felt beholden to whatever masters of fate had not only brought her back but given him this opportunity, a second chance to answer the same question.</p><p>When they broke apart, green eyes were shining up at him with hopefulness.</p><p>He answered her with the one truth he was certain of.</p><p> “I’m not going to change my mind. Ever.”</p>
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